Protein product and process for making injectable protein product

Abstract

Moisture is retained in cooked or thawed food by adding to the food an aqueous suspension of animal muscle protein obtained from animal muscle tissue. The aqueous suspension is obtained by mixing comminuted animal muscle tissue with a food grade acid to form an aqueous acidic solution of animal muscle protein. The acidic solution is mixed with a food grade base to precipitate the protein in an aqueous composition. The precipitated protein then is comminuted to form an aqueous suspension of comminuted animal muscle protein.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION[0001]This invention relates to a novel protein composition derived from animal muscle tissue, a process for making the protein composition and to a process for retaining moisture in food, cooked or uncooked.[0002]At the present time, it is desirable to retain moisture in cooked or uncooked food so that drying of the food during the cooking process is minimized. It is also desirable to retain moisture in cooked or uncooked food so that the natural food flavors are retained in the food even after cooking.[0003]A common occurrence of moisture loss occurs when a frozen food is thawed such as prior to cooking the food. The thawed food experiences drip loss wherein a liquid aqueous composition such as water is formed and becomes separated from the solid thawed food.[0004]A second common occurrence of moisture loss occurs when an uncooked food is cooked. Liquid moisture in the food becomes vaporized during the cooking process and migrates to the food surface whe...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0008]In accordance with this invention, it has been found that a novel animal muscle protein composition comprising sarcoplasmic proteins and myofibrillar proteins derived from animal muscle tissue provide improved moisture retention in food being thawed or cooked. The animal muscle protein composition is obtained from animal muscle tissue by comminuting the animal muscle tissue and then mixing it with a food grade acid composition under conditions to solubilize the animal muscle protein thereby forming a solution of animal muscle protein. The solubilized acidic animal muscle tissue then is mixed with a food grade base composition to increase the pH of the solubilized animal muscle protein to a pH between about 4.7 and about 11.0, preferably between about pH 5.5 and about 9.5, thereby to precipitate the protein. The precipitated protein then is comminuted to form protein particulates suspended in an aqueous medium. It has been found that when the animal muscle protein composition prepared by the process of this invention is added to a food to be thawed and / or cooked, increased moisture retention in the food is observed as compared to an acidic animal muscle tissue protein composition or an alkaline animal muscle tissue protein composition obtained without the first step of forming an acidic animal muscle composition formed from animal muscle tissue.

[0009]This result is surprising since the protein compositions are chemically the same. While applicants do not wish to be bound to any theory explaining this surprising result, it is believed that by first mixing the animal muscle tissue with a food grade acid, unfolding of the protein molecules is promoted and the subsequent mixing of the protein with a food grade alkaline compound results in an increase in functionality of the protein. This increase in functionality promotes increased moisture retention in the food being treated with the protein.

Problems solved by technology

The fact that these protein compositions block the fluid pathway through the syringe renders them useless for injecting a food with a syringe.

In addition, the protein composition mixed first with an acid and then with a base and not comminuted or is mixed only with an acid and comminuted or not comminuted can not be adequately injected into a food by vacuum tumbling since they are retained on the surface of the food and do not satisfactorily penetrate the food surface.